Police Link Explosion in Or Akiva with Crime, not Terrorism

A 50 year-old man and his son were injured Sunday morning as they were standing near a car which exploded on Shazar street in Or Akiva (Haifa area; near Caesarea).

Both were taken to Hillel Yaffe Hospital in Hadera. Police have launched an investigation on whether or not the explosion is connected to organized crime; the injured have been named as innocent bystanders and are assumed not to be involved in the circumstances behind the explosion.

The blast destroyed one car and damaged several vehicles, official said. Windows were also blown off a nearby office building.

"On the sidewalk near the burned-out car, lay a man of about 30 with a badly injured limbs," he said. "He was fully conscious and in pain. We gave him medical treatment at the scene and he was transported immediately to the Intensive Care Unit at Hillel Yafo [Hospital]."

"Another man, about 50, was injured by shrapnel throughout his body," the medic continued. "He was treated at the scene and also transferred to hospital."

Area residents were shaken by the blast, fearing a terror attack or rocket attack from Gaza.

"I was in the kitchen in my house and suddenly, I heard a huge explosion and the windows of the apartment were shattered," an Or Akiva resident near Shazar street said. "I was sure a rocket had hit the building, like in Sderot."